Rotor feed for an automatic firearm supplied by a single link hook and eye chain belt

ABSTRACT

The cartridge extraction post comprises a central star wheel rotor keyed on a longitudinal shaft whose axis is situated in the vertical plane of symmetry of the assembly of the feed at a level such that the star wheels project into the central upper zone of a transverse passage, formed of two opposite passages. The linkfreed cartridges are removed by a pusher operating longitudinally passing through an opening formed in a central zone of the floor of the transverse passage. A fixed support cam in the central zone of the extraction station at the level passed by the back of the links is positioned over at least the fraction of the transverse passage in which the extraction of the cartridges occurs when the cartridge belt passes in the direction F2 reverse to the conventional direction F1 for which the hooks of the links are directed forwardly. The feed lends itself to routeing of the cartridge belt, either in the conventional direction F1 (hooks of the links directed forwardly) for which there is no risk of breakage of the belt by unhooking in the extraction phase, or in the reverse direction F2 (eyes of the links directed forwardly) the cam then resisting lifting and unhooking of the link in the extraction phase under the effect of the upward reaction then exerted on this link which continues to travel in the direction F2 under the action of the rotor thereby correctly driving the following link and the remainder of the belt.

United States Patent. [191 Pierre [54] ROTOR FEED FOR AN AUTOMATICFIREARM SUPPLIED BY A SINGLE LINK HOOK AND EYE CHAIN BELT [75] Inventor:

[73] Assignee: Etat Francais, Paris, France [22] Filed: Oct. 11, 1973[21 Appl. No.: 405,256,

Bernard Pierre, Lyon, France [30] Foreign Application Priority DataPrimary ExaminerStephen C. Bentley Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Larson,Taylor & Hinds [57] ABSTRACT The cartridge extraction post comprises acentral star [451 Jan, 14, 1975 wheel rotor keyedon a longitudinal shaftwhose axis is situated in the vertical plane of symmetry of the assemblyof the feed at a level such that the star wheels project into thecentral upper zone of a transverse passage, formed of two oppositepassages. The link-freed cartridges are removed by a pusher operatinglongitudinally passing through an opening formed in a central zone ofthe floor of the transverse passage. A fixed support cam in the centralzone of the extraction station at the level passed by the back of thelinks is positioned over at least the fraction of the transverse passagein which the extraction of the cartridges occurs when the cartridge beltpasses in the direction F reverse to the conventional direction F forwhich the hooks of the links are directed forwardly. The feed lendsitself to routeing of the cartridge belt, either in the conventionaldirection F (hooks of the links directed forwardly) for which there isno risk of breakage of the belt by unhooking in the extraction phase, orin the reverse direction F (eyes of the links directed forwardly) thecam then resisting lifting and unhooking of the link in the extractionphase under the effect of the upward reaction then exerted on this linkwhich continues to travel in the direction F 2 under the action of therotor thereby correctly driving the following link and the remainder ofthe belt.

8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures sum 1 or 5 PATENTEB JAN 1 4|H75 PATENTEI]JAN] 4 I975 SHEEI 2 BF 3 PATENTEDJAN14|975 $859,891

SHEET 3 BF 3 ROTOR FEED FOR AN AUTOMATIC FIREARM SUPPLIED BY A SINGLELINK HOOK AND EYE CHAIN BELT The invention relates to'a rotor feed (thatis to say star-wheel) intended for supplying an automatic firearm withcartridges assembled in a belt by means of single links each gripping asingle cartridge and comprising, for their junction with the linksinvolving two neighbouring cartridges situated on both sides of thecartridge concerned, on one side, a hook, and, on the other side, aneye, the hook of the link of the cartridge concerned being engaged inthe eye of the link of one of the abovesaid neighbouring cartridges,whilst the eye of said cartridge connected is in engagement with thehook of the other neighbouring cartridge.

And it relates more particularly, but not exclusively,

to the case where the feed concerned is intended for supplying anautomatic firearm of small or medium calibre, for example with a calibreof to 50 mm, which is the case, especially, of certain known automaticguns of 30 mm (French cannon MUHLOUSE, English cannon ADEN) whose feedcan be effected by means of cartridges in belts bringing into playsingle book and eye links of the above-specified type.

It should be recalled, at this point, that any rotor feed of this typecomprises an extraction post into which the cartridge belt passes underthe effect of a central starwheel rotor and where each cartridge,gripped elastically by a hook and eye link, is extracted from said linkby longitudinal displacement then to be routed to a waiting position ortowards its position of insertion in the firearm (either directly, ormore frequently through a transporter mechanism, for example with adrum), the link freed from its cartridge, but still in engagement withthe star-wheel rotor, being propelled towards an injection passage.

It will be understood, under these conditions, that it is essential forcorrect operation of such a feed, that the link occurring in theextraction phase should not be able, by a lifting motion (possiblyaccompanied by a tilting movement around its axis), to be unhooked fromthe link of the neighbouring cartridge still linked upstream. In fact,such an unhooking would cause a break in the belt and the interruptionof its passage into the extraction post, that is to say, finally, astoppage in firmg.

It seems important, on this subject, to specify the manner in which thecontinuity of the belt is obtained on assembly, taking into account thetype of links used, namely hook and eye links.

To this end, reference will be made to the first two figures of theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 represents, in perspective and in the course of preparation, asection of a hook and eye link cartridge belt with lefbhand travelintended for use in a rotor feed according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a transverse section, seen from the rear, of the extractionpost of a conventional rotor feed capable of routeing correctly acartridge belt of the type illustrated in FIG. 1, with the reservationthat the routeing of said belt is effected in a well determineddirection, namely that for which the hooks of its links are directlyforwardly (that is to say in they direction of routeing of the belt),

and FIG. is a transverse section, made under the same conditions as thatof FIG. 2, of the extraction post of a rotor feed according to theinvention, which has, with respect to the conventional rotor feedillustrated in FIG. 2, the considerable advantage of being able to routea cartridge belt ofa predetermined type (hook to the left or hook to theright) as well in one direction as in the other.

The section of the ammunition belt illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises twoidentical successive links M, and M each of these links comprising abody 1 adapted to grip a corresponding cartridge C or C over a littlemore than said body being provided, in its central region, with a hook 2situated to the right and an eye 3 situated to the left, this hook andthis eye extending re spectively on both sides of the body of the link1.

With such a type of link with hook to the right and eye to the left, theassembly of the belt is effected in the following manner starting fromthe first link M in which the cartridge C is engaged: there is coupled,to this link M the empty link M by engagement of its book 2 in the eye 3of said link 1, after which there is engaged, in the link M thus coupledto link M the cartridge C (shown in mixed line) whose presence, at thelevel of the hook of this link M locks the eye 3 of the link M, engagedin said hook, the distance between the nose of this hook and the body ofcartridge C being too slight to permit the passage of the abovesaid eye;after which there is coupled to the link M provided with its cartridge Cby the same process, a new empty link M (not shown in FIG. 1, butvisible in FIG. 2) which is then provided with a new cartridge C and soon until the desired length of belt is obtained.

It is seen that, with such a cartridge belt, there is no risk ofproducing, on handling prior to firing, of breakage of the belt byunhooking twoneighbouring links, given that each articulated assembllyformed by engagement of one hook of one link in the eye of theneighbouring link is an assembly locked by the presence of the cartridgegripped by the link bearing the abovesaid hook, such an assemblybehaving like a true hinge.

On the other hand, when such a belt occurs engaged in the extractionpost of a rotor feed, the safety of the continuity of the belt is nolonger fully ensured then, since before firing, given that the same roleof this extraction post is to extract from each link the cartridge,which up to this stage would lock the articulation of the link concernedon the following link. The risks of unhooking of the link in theextraction phase are all the greater as the said link occurs then in thecentral zone of the extraction post (zone presenting a disengagement forthe movements of the star-wheel rotor) and as this link tends, byreaction, to be lifted, with possibly and to a certain extent, a tiltingmovement around its axis.

To avoid such a tendency on lifting causing unhooking of the link in theextraction phase, with respect to the preceding link, it was necessary,hitherto, to make the cartridge belt travel in the extraction post alonga well-determined direction, namely that for which the hooks of thelinks are directed forwardly, that is to say in the direction ofadvance.

There is shown in FIG. 2, in transverse section seen from the rear, theextraction post of a conventional feed with a central rotor 4(comprising star wheels 4a keyed on a motor shaft 4b) into which acartridge belt formed of links M M M etc. with hooks 2 and eyes 3circulates in the direction, shown by the arrow F for which the hooks 2are directed forwardly, which condition was imperative for the followingreason: with such a direction of travel, the reaction R tending to linkthe link M, from the beginning of the extraction phase flattens theeyelet 3 of said link against the hump h of hook 2 of the following linkM and it does not risk the production of unhooking from link M withrespect to this following link M since the cartridge C resists anyseparation of these links M, and M the link M hence continues to drivethe following link M as well as the rest of the belt, and firing cancontinue normally; on the other hand, if the cartridge belt travels inreverse direction from that shown by the arrow F the link M wouldalready be freed from its cartridge, the link M would be at the end ofthe extraction phase, the link M (drawn by the link M would be providedwith a cartridge, and the reaction of lifting R exerted on the link Mduringthe whole extraction phase would have the effect of disengagingthe hook 2 from said link M out of the eye3 of the link M due to thefact of the transverse displacement of disengagement undergone at thisstage by thecartridge C gripped by the abovesaid link M which cartridgeup to this point locked by its presence the articulation of the links Mand M this unhooking of the link M with respect to the link M in thecase of the travel of the belt in reverse direction from the directionprescribed by F would hence have caused a break in the belt at the levelof the junction of the leading link M and of the following link M andconsequently, an interruption of firing since the link M would not stillbe in engagement with the star wheels 4a of the rotor.

In other words, such a conventional star-wheel feed, supplied by a hookand eye link cartridge belt, would only be suit-able for onepre-determined direction of feed (with hooks directed forwardly) which,in the case of the cartridge belt illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 (thelatter FIG. being a transverse sectional view from the rear),corresponds to left hand feed.

For such a conventional rotor feed, the cartridge belt enters theextraction post through a passage 5a which plays only the role ofinsertion passage and the empty links emerge through an opposite passage6a which plays only the role of ejection passage and which is providedwith a guide 7 for the empty links, the cartridges extractedlongitudinally from their link in line with the rotor 4 being removed,by a pusher passing through an opening 8, towards a transporter device(not shown) which routes them towards a waiting position preceding theirposition of insertion in the cartridge chamber of the firearm.

Now, general considerations frequently require at the present time forreasons of management of stock and supplies, especially to avoid havingto prepare, store and distribute, two different types of hook and eyelink belts for a given firearm, that an automatic firearm be providedwith a feed through which a hook and eye link belt of a predeterminedtype (hook to the left or hook to the right) can be routed both in onedirection and in the other, which would not be the case, as has justbeen seen, for conventional central rotor feeds.

In other words, the problem has be posed of being able to supply thefirearm indifferently from the right or from the left with a hook andeye link belt of a predetermined type.

.It is a particular object of the invention to resolve this problem,that is to say to provide a central rotor feed capable of routingcorrectly (without risk of breakage of the belt) in one direction or theother of a cartridge belt of a predetermined type formed by means ofsingle hook and eye links, such a feed having therefore to lend itselfboth to supply from the left and to supply from the right of apredetermined automatic firearm.

The rotor feed according to the invention comprises an extraction post(shown in FIG. 3 in transverse section seen from the rear) comprising acentral rotor 4 with a star wheels 4a keyed on a longitudinal shaft 4b,for example channelled, of which the axis is situatedin the verticalplane of symmetry of the assembly of the feed at a level such that thestar wheels 4a project into the central upper zone of a transversepassage, formed from two opposite passages 5 and 6, capable of receivinga guide for empty link 7 and into which can pass a cartridge belt formedby means of links M M M etc., with hooks 2 and eyes 3, the removal ofthe unlinked cartridges being effected longitudinally by reacwhich theextraction of the cartridges occurs when the cartridge belt passes inthe direction F contrary to the conventional direction F for which thehooks 2 of the link are directed forwardly, due to which the feedconcerned lends itself to routing the cartridge belt, either in theconventional direction F (hooks 2 of they links directed forwardly) forwhich there is no risk of breakage of the belt by unhooking in theextraction phase, or

in the reverse direction F (eyes 3 of the links directed towardly asshown in FIG. 3), the cam 10 then resisting lifting and unhooking of thelink in the extraction phase M under the effect of the upward reactionthen exerted on this link M which continues to travel in the direction Funder the effect of the rotor 4 thereby driving the following link Mcorrectly and the rest of the belt.

Such a feed lends itself therefore well to supply from the right or tosupply from the left for a cartridge belt of a predetermined type withhook and eye links.

When the feed is effected in the conventional direction F (hooks 2forwardly), the guide 7' is mounted in the passage 6, the passage 5plays the role of insertion passage, the passage 6 that of removalpassage, and the cam 10 does not come into play but does not impede inany way the travel of the belt.

Conversely, and as shown in FIG. 3, when the feed is operated in thedirection F (eyes forwardly) prohibited for prior conventional feeds,the guide 7 is mounted in the passage 5, the passage 6 plays the role'of insertion passage, the passage 5 plays the role of re moval passage,the cam 10 resists actively any lifting of the link M involving thecartridge C in the extraction phase and, in consequence, any unhookingof said link M, with respect to the link M of the following cartridge CThus, in one case and the other, the continuity of the cartridge belt iswell assured and it suffices to provide a single type of belt whichwou'ld be suitable for the two directions of feed, which of coursesimplifies logistic problems of storage and supply.

Preferably, the support cam operates between the central zone of theextraction post and the passage 6 playing the role of insertion passagewhen the cartridge belt travels in the direction F forwhich the eyes 3of its links are directed forwardly.

The support cam 10 can then advantageously be mounted freely in rotationon the shaft 4b of rotor 4, preferably between two star wheels 4a, andbe keyed angularly by cooperation of a channel E with a boss B ofcorresponding shape belonging to the fixed casing of the feed. 1

Given that the opposite passages 5 and 6 can indifferently play the roleof insertion passage and of removal passage, it will be advantageous toprovide, respectively in the floors 9 of the abovesaid opposite passages5 and 6, two fixing posts each adapted to receive the removable guide 7for the empty links; this guide 7, being positioned, before firing, inthat of the abovesaid passages which have to play the role of removalpassage for the firing envisaged.

2. Feed according to claim 1, wherein said support cam is mountedbetween two star wheels.

3. Feed according to claim 1, comprising, respectively, in the floors ofsaid opposite channels two fixing posts each adapted to receive aremovable guide forthe empty links, this guide being positioned, beforefiring, in that of said channels which has to play the role ofevacuation channel for the shot concerned.

4. Feed according to claim 2, comprising, respectively, inthe floors ofsaid opposite channels two fixing posts each adaptedto receive aremovable guide for the empty links, this guide being positioned, beforefiring, in that of said channels which has to play the role ofevacuation channel for the shot concerned.

5. Feed, for the supply of an automatic firearm by a cartridge belt withsingle hook and eye links, of which the extractionpost comprises acentral star wheel rotor keyed on a longitudinal shaft whose axis issituated in a the vertical plane of symmetry of the assembly of theifices 11 for the passage of bolts 12 adapted to fix a base 7a fast tothe guide 7.

As is self-evident and as emerges already from the foregoing, theinvention is in no way limited to those of its types of application andembodiments which have been more especially envisaged; it encompasses,on the contrary, all modifications.

I claim:

1. Feed, for the supply of an automatic firearm by a cartridge belt withsingle hook and eye links, of which the extraction post comprises acentral star wheel rotor keyed on a longitudinal shaft whose axis issituatedin the vertical plane of symmetry of the assembly of the feed ata level such that the star wheels project into the central upper zone ofa transverse passage, formed of two opposite passages, into which a beltof cartridges formed by means of hook and eye links passes, the removalof the link-freed cartridges operating longitudinally by the action of apusher passing through an opening formed in a central zone of the floorof the abovesaid transverse passage, which is situated between theabove-said opposite channels, said feed comprising a fixed support camsituated in the central zone of the extraction station at the levelpassed by the back of the links, said cam existing, in the transversesense, over at least the fraction of the transverse passage in which theextraction of the cartridges occurs when the cartridge belt passes inthe direction F reverse to the conventional direction F, for which thehooks of the links are directed forwardly, so that the feed lends itselfto routeing of the cartridge belt, either in the conventional directionF, (hooks of the links directed forwardly) for which there is no risk ofbreakage of the belt by unhooking in the extraction phase, or in thereverse direction F (eyes of the links directed forwardly) the cam thenresisting lifting and unhooking of the link in the extraction phaseunder the effect of the upward reaction then exerted on this link whichcontinues to travel in the direction F under the action of the rotorthereby correctly driving the, following link and the remainder of thebelt, said support cam being mounted free in rotation on the shaft ofthe rotor, and being keyed angularly by cooperation of a channel with aboss of the corresponding shape belonging to the fixed casing of thefeed.

feed at a level such that the star wheels project into the central upperzone of a transverse passage, formed of two opposite passages, intowhich. a belt of cartridges formed by means of hook and eye linkspasses, the removal of the'link-freed cartridges operatinglongitudinally by the action of a pusher passing through an openingformed in a central zone of the floor of the abovesaid transversepassage, which is situated between the above-said channels, said feedcomprising a fixed support cam situated in the central zone of theextraction station at the level passed by the back of the links, saidcam existing, in the transverse sense, over'at least the fraction of thetransverse passage in which the extraction of the cartridges occurs whenthe cartridge belt passes in the direction F reverse to the conventionaldirection F, for which the hooks of the links are directed forwardly, sothat the feed lends itself to routeing of the cartridge belt, either inthe conventional direction F, (hooks of the links directed forwardly)for which there is no risk of breakage of the belt by unhooking in theextraction phase, or in the reverse direction F (eyes of the linksdirected forwardly) the cam then resisting lifting and unhooking of thelink in the extraction phase under the effect of the upward reactionthen exerted on this link which continues to travel in the direction Funder the action of the rotor thereby correctly driving the followinglink and the remainder of the belt, said feed further comprising,respectively, in the floors of said opposite channels, two fixing postseach adapted to receive a removable guide for the empty links, thisguide being positioned, before firing, in that of said channels whichhas to play the role of evacuation channel for the shot concerned.

6. Feed according to claim 5, wherein said fixing posts compriseorifices for the passage of bolts adapted to fix a base fast to theguide.

7. Feed, for the supply of an automatic firearm by a cartridge belt withsingle hook and eye links, of which the extraction post comprises acentral star wheel rotor keyed on a longitudinal shaft whose axis issituated in the vertical plane of symmetry of the assembly of the feedat a level such that the star wheels project into the central upper zoneof a transverse passage, formed of two opposite passages, into which abelt of cartridges formed by means of hook and eye links passes, theremoval of the link-freed cartridges operating longitudinally by theaction of a pusher passing through an opening formed in a central zoneof the floor of the abovesaid transverse passage, which is situatedbetween the above-said channels, said feed comprising a fixed supportcam situated in the central zone of the extraction station at the levelpassed by the back of the links, said cam existing, in the transversesense, over at least the fraction of the transverse passage in which theextraction of the cartridges occurs when the cartridge belt passes inthe direction F reverse to the conventional direction F, for which thehooks of the links are directed forwardly, so that the feed lends itselfto routeing of the cartridge belt, either in the conventional directionF (hooks of the links directed forwardly) for which there is no risk ofbreakage of the belt by un- V hooking in the extraction phase, or in thereverse direction F (eyes of the links directed forwardly) the cam thenresisting lifting and unhooking of the link in the extraction phaseunder the effect of the upward reaction then exerted on this link whichcontinues to travel in the direction F under the action of the rotorthereby correctly driving the following link and the remainder of thebelt, said support cam existing between the central zone of theextraction post and the channel playing the role of insertion channelwhen the cartridge belt travels in the direction (F for which the eyesof its links are directed forwardly, and wherein the support cam ismounted free in rotation on the shaft of the rotor, and is keyedangularly by cooperation of a channel with a boss of the correspondingshape belonging to the fixed casing of the feed.

8. Feed, for the supply of an automatic firearm by a cartridge belt withsingle hook and eye links, of which the extraction post comprises acentral star wheel rotor keyed on a longitudinal shaft whose axis issituated in the vertical plane of symmetry of the assembly of the feedat a level such that the star wheels project into the central upper zoneof a transverse passage, formed of two opposite passages, into which abelt of cartridges formed by means of hook and eye links passes, theremoval of the link-freed cartridges operating longitudinally by theaction of a pusher passing through an opening formed in a central zoneof the floor of theabovesaid transverse passage, which is situatedbetween the above-said opposite channels, said feed comprising a fixedsupport cam situated in the central zone of the extraction station atthe level passed by the back of the links, said cam existing, in thetransverse sense, over at least the fraction of the transverse passagein which the extraction of the cartridges occurs when the cartridgebeltpasses in, the direction F flreverse to the conventional directionF, for which the hooks of the links are directed forwardly, so that thefeed lends itself to routeing of the cartridge belt, either in theconventional direction F, (hooks of the links directed forwardly) forwhich there is no risk of breakage of the belt by unhooking in theextraction phase, or in the reverse direction F (eyes of the linksdirected forwardly) the cam then resisting lifting and unhooking of thelink in the extraction phase under the effect of the upward reactionthen exerted on this link which continues to travel in the direction Funder the action of the rotor thereby correctly driving the followinglink and the remainder of the belt, said support cam exists between thecentral zone of the extraction post and the channel playing the role ofinsertion channel when the cartridge belt travels in the direction (Ffor which the eyes of its links are directed forwardly, and furthercomprising, respectively, in the floors of said opposite channels, twofixing posts each adapted to receive a removable guide for the emptylinks, this guide being positioned, before tiring, in that of saidchannels which has to play the role of evacuation channel for the shotconcerned.

1. Feed, for the supply of an automatic firearm by a cartridge belt withsingle hook and eye links, of which the extraction post comprises acentral star wheel rotor keyed on a longitudinal shaft whose axis issituated in the vertical plane of symmetry of the assembly of the feedat a level such that the star wheels project into the central upper zoneof a transverse passage, formed of two opposite passages, into which abelt of cartridges formed by means of hook and eye links passes, theremoval of the link-freed cartridges operating longitudinally by theaction of a pusher passing through an opening formed in a central zoneof the floor of the above-said transverse passage, which is situatedbetween the above-said opposite channels, said feed comprising a fixedsupport cam situated in the central zone of the extraction station atthe level passed by the back of the links, said cam existing, in thetransverse sense, over at least the fraction of the transverse passagein which the extraction of the cartridges occurs when the cartridge beltpasses in the direction F2 reverse to the conventional direction F1 forwhich the hooks of the links are directed forwardly, so that the feedlends itself to routeing of the cartridge belt, either in theconventional direction F1 (hooks of the links directed forwardly) forwhich there is no risk of breakage of the belt by unhooking in theextraction phase, or in the reverse direction F2 (eyes of the linksdirected forwardly) the cam then resisting lifting and unhooking of thelink in the extraction phase under the effect of the upward reactionthen exerted on this link which continues to travel in the direction F2under the action of the rotor thereby correctly driving the followinglink and the remainder of the belt, said support cam being mounted freein rotation on the shaft of the rotor, and being keyed angularly bycooperation of a channel with a boss of the corresponding shapebelonging to the fixed casing Of the feed.
 2. Feed according to claim 1,wherein said support cam is mounted between two star wheels.
 3. Feedaccording to claim 1, comprising, respectively, in the floors of saidopposite channels two fixing posts each adapted to receive a removableguide for the empty links, this guide being positioned, before firing,in that of said channels which has to play the role of evacuationchannel for the shot concerned.
 4. Feed according to claim 2,comprising, respectively, in the floors of said opposite channels twofixing posts each adapted to receive a removable guide for the emptylinks, this guide being positioned, before firing, in that of saidchannels which has to play the role of evacuation channel for the shotconcerned.
 5. Feed, for the supply of an automatic firearm by acartridge belt with single hook and eye links, of which the extractionpost comprises a central star wheel rotor keyed on a longitudinal shaftwhose axis is situated in the vertical plane of symmetry of the assemblyof the feed at a level such that the star wheels project into thecentral upper zone of a transverse passage, formed of two oppositepassages, into which a belt of cartridges formed by means of hook andeye links passes, the removal of the link-freed cartridges operatinglongitudinally by the action of a pusher passing through an openingformed in a central zone of the floor of the above-said transversepassage, which is situated between the above-said channels, said feedcomprising a fixed support cam situated in the central zone of theextraction station at the level passed by the back of the links, saidcam existing, in the transverse sense, over at least the fraction of thetransverse passage in which the extraction of the cartridges occurs whenthe cartridge belt passes in the direction F2 reverse to theconventional direction F1 for which the hooks of the links are directedforwardly, so that the feed lends itself to routeing of the cartridgebelt, either in the conventional direction F1 (hooks of the linksdirected forwardly) for which there is no risk of breakage of the beltby unhooking in the extraction phase, or in the reverse direction F2(eyes of the links directed forwardly) the cam then resisting liftingand unhooking of the link in the extraction phase under the effect ofthe upward reaction then exerted on this link which continues to travelin the direction F2 under the action of the rotor thereby correctlydriving the following link and the remainder of the belt, said feedfurther comprising, respectively, in the floors of said oppositechannels, two fixing posts each adapted to receive a removable guide forthe empty links, this guide being positioned, before firing, in that ofsaid channels which has to play the role of evacuation channel for theshot concerned.
 6. Feed according to claim 5, wherein said fixing postscomprise orifices for the passage of bolts adapted to fix a base fast tothe guide.
 7. Feed, for the supply of an automatic firearm by acartridge belt with single hook and eye links, of which the extractionpost comprises a central star wheel rotor keyed on a longitudinal shaftwhose axis is situated in the vertical plane of symmetry of the assemblyof the feed at a level such that the star wheels project into thecentral upper zone of a transverse passage, formed of two oppositepassages, into which a belt of cartridges formed by means of hook andeye links passes, the removal of the link-freed cartridges operatinglongitudinally by the action of a pusher passing through an openingformed in a central zone of the floor of the above-said transversepassage, which is situated between the above-said channels, said feedcomprising a fixed support cam situated in the central zone of theextraction station at the level passed by the back of the links, saidcam existing, in the transverse sense, over at least the fraction of thetransverse passage in which the extraction of the cartridges occurs whenthe cartridge belt passes in the direction F2 reverse to theconventional direction F1 for which the hooks of the links are directedforwardly, so that the feed lends itself to routeing of the cartridgebelt, either in the conventional direction F1 (hooks of the linksdirected forwardly) for which there is no risk of breakage of the beltby unhooking in the extraction phase, or in the reverse direction F2(eyes of the links directed forwardly) the cam then resisting liftingand unhooking of the link in the extraction phase under the effect ofthe upward reaction then exerted on this link which continues to travelin the direction F2 under the action of the rotor thereby correctlydriving the following link and the remainder of the belt, said supportcam existing between the central zone of the extraction post and thechannel playing the role of insertion channel when the cartridge belttravels in the direction (F2) for which the eyes of its links aredirected forwardly, and wherein the support cam is mounted free inrotation on the shaft of the rotor, and is keyed angularly bycooperation of a channel with a boss of the corresponding shapebelonging to the fixed casing of the feed.
 8. Feed, for the supply of anautomatic firearm by a cartridge belt with single hook and eye links, ofwhich the extraction post comprises a central star wheel rotor keyed ona longitudinal shaft whose axis is situated in the vertical plane ofsymmetry of the assembly of the feed at a level such that the starwheels project into the central upper zone of a transverse passage,formed of two opposite passages, into which a belt of cartridges formedby means of hook and eye links passes, the removal of the link-freedcartridges operating longitudinally by the action of a pusher passingthrough an opening formed in a central zone of the floor of theabove-said transverse passage, which is situated between the above-saidopposite channels, said feed comprising a fixed support cam situated inthe central zone of the extraction station at the level passed by theback of the links, said cam existing, in the transverse sense, over atleast the fraction of the transverse passage in which the extraction ofthe cartridges occurs when the cartridge belt passes in the direction F2reverse to the conventional direction F1 for which the hooks of thelinks are directed forwardly, so that the feed lends itself to routeingof the cartridge belt, either in the conventional direction F1 (hooks ofthe links directed forwardly) for which there is no risk of breakage ofthe belt by unhooking in the extraction phase, or in the reversedirection F2 (eyes of the links directed forwardly) the cam thenresisting lifting and unhooking of the link in the extraction phaseunder the effect of the upward reaction then exerted on this link whichcontinues to travel in the direction F2 under the action of the rotorthereby correctly driving the following link and the remainder of thebelt, said support cam exists between the central zone of the extractionpost and the channel playing the role of insertion channel when thecartridge belt travels in the direction (F2) for which the eyes of itslinks are directed forwardly, and further comprising, respectively, inthe floors of said opposite channels, two fixing posts each adapted toreceive a removable guide for the empty links, this guide beingpositioned, before firing, in that of said channels which has to playthe role of evacuation channel for the shot concerned.